A new report has countered rumors that the processor expected to power Apple's third-generation iPad will be a quad-core model, noting instead that the chip will still be dual-core, though with a "significantly more powerful" graphics processor.

Samsung is in talks with banks to acquire $1 billion to fund an expansion at its facility in Austin, Texas that is said to be the source of A5 processors powering the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S, and could possibly be the factory responsible for Apple's next generation A6 chip bound for the rumored iPad 3.

Imagination Technologies announced on Tuesday that its next-generation PowerVR Series6 GPU core family, which could find their way into Apple's future iPhones and iPads, will offer 20 times more performance than the current generation.

An Intel executive said this week it would be foolish to ignore reports that Apple is considering switching some of its Macs away from Intel's mainstream processors and towards its own A-series of mobile chips because it's been hearing the same rumors.

Apple is looking to merge its iOS and Mac OS X operating systems into one unified platform for applications and cloud services as soon as next year starting with the MacBook Air, one Wall Street analyst believes.

According to a new report, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has begun trial production of Apple's next-generation A6 processors, lending credence to rumors that the iPhone maker is moving orders away from supplier and rival Samsung.

Apple is rumored to further distance itself from its rival Samsung starting with the "A6" chip in 2012, when the iPhone maker will allegedly transition production of its custom ARM chips to a new chipmaker.

Apple's component suppliers have begun taking the necessary steps to begin volume production of new MacBook Airs next month as rumors swirl over which firm will secure a deal to manufacture the company's next-generation mobile processor, dubbed the A6.